Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Immigration

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the applicability of Government of India international blacklists in decision-making on people that intend to undertake business in the UK.

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the applicability of the Government of India's list of Undesirable Contact Men in decision-making on people that intend to undertake business in the UK.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has no plans to make such assessments.

Sudhir Choudhrie

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have plans to hold meetings with (i)  Sudhir Choudhrie and (ii) representatives of Sudhir Choudhrie.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Department has no such plans.

Low Pay: Rural Areas

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to tackle low pay in rural areas.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is committed to delivering an economy that works for all. Through the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, the Government is ensuring the lowest paid across the UK are fairly rewarded for their contribution to the economy. For example, 3,100 workers in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk are currently on the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.The Government has committed to increase the National Living Wage to reach 60% of median earnings by 2020, subject to sustained economic growth. To meet this target, we will increase the National Living Wage rate by 4.9% to £8.21 in April 2019, benefiting 1.8 million workers directly. This increase will mean that a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will be over £2,750 better off over the course of the year, compared to when the policy was introduced. Furthermore, inflation-beating increases in the National Minimum Wage rates are expected to benefit 350,000 young workers from April 2019.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cuba: Sanctions

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the potential lifting of suspension of Title III of the Helms-Burton legislation.

Sir Alan Duncan: Officials in London and the British Embassy in Havana regularly raise our objections with US counterparts on trade restrictions on Cuba. We consider the US embargo to be counterproductive and we oppose any possible tightening of it in the future.

Libya: Prisoners' Release

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to the Government of Niger for people released from prisons in Libya.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We are, through our £75 million migration programme and contributions to the EU's Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, providing humanitarian assistance and protection to vulnerable migrants in Niger and other parts of the region, some of whom have been released from detention centres in Libya.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Aviation

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) business class, (b) economy class and (c) first-class tickets for air travel his Department purchased in each of the past four years.

Sir Alan Duncan: Please refer to PQ 208387.

Juan Guaido

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government will recognise Juan Guaido as the Interim President of Venezuela.

Sir Alan Duncan: On 26 January the Foreign Secretary and I said that if there are not fresh and fair elections announced within eight days, the UK will recognise Juan Guaido as constitutional interim President of Venezuela to take forward the political process towards democracy.

Department of Health and Social Care

Incinerators: Health Hazards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2019 to Question 203775 on Incinerators: Health Hazards, what evidence Public Health England considered in reaching its opinion that well run and regulated modern municipal waste incinerators are not a significant risk to public health.

Steve Brine: The Public Health England (PHE) position statement outlines the basis of the conclusion that well run and regulated municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) are not a significant risk to public health. The position statement considered evidence of impacts on health of different waste disposal methods; the evidence on the health effects of pollutants that may be emitted from MWIs, such as particles, carcinogens and dioxins, and their contribution to local concentrations; and the evidence from the United Kingdom Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment on epidemiological studies on MWIs and cancer. PHE’s position statement is available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/municipal-waste-incinerator-emissions-to-air-impact-on-health

Air pollution

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what sites (a) his Department and (b) Public Health England maintain to monitor the effects on (i) air quality and (ii) human health of emissions of (A) PM0.1, (B) PM 1 and (C) PM2.5.

Steve Brine: The Department and Public Health England do not maintain sites monitoring the effects air pollutants on air quality or health. The Environment Agency manages the United Kingdom’s national air quality monitoring sites on behalf of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the devolved administrations.

Air pollution: Health Hazards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered the implications for (a) public health and (b) air quality posed by the findings of the monitoring of PM10 emissions carried out by St Stephen-in-Brannel Parish Council in Cornwall.

Steve Brine: No routine assessment has been made by the Department or Public Health England on the monitoring of particulate matter 10 (PM10) emissions undertaken by St Stephen-in-Brannel Parish Council in Cornwall.

Incinerators: Health Hazards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2019 to Question 206218 on Incinerators: Health Hazards, if  will he ask Public Health England to investigate whether there is more recent information available on the effects on (a) human health and (b) air quality of numbers of PM0.1 or PM1 emitted by (i) waste incinerators and (ii) other processes.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) and the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) keep the evidence on the effects on human health and air quality of numbers of PM0.1 or PM1 emitted by waste incinerators and other processes under review and publish their reports at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/comeap-reports We therefore have no current plans to ask PHE to carry out further investigations of the evidence. PHE will keep its advice under review in light of new substantial research on the health effects of incinerators published in peer review journals. To date, PHE is not aware of any evidence that requires a change in its position statement.

Energy Drinks: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to respond to its consultation entitled Ending the sale of energy drinks to children, published on 30 August 2018.

Steve Brine: We will respond to the consultation on ending the sale of energy drinks to children later this year.

Department for International Development

Department for International Trade: Overseas Aid

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government's proposed Withdrawal Agreement on her Department's future provision of Official Development Assistance.

Harriett Baldwin: Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK would honour its share of the total commitments made to the EU budget and off budget instruments during the period of our membership. This includes Official Development Assistance through the EU budget external action instruments and off-budget funds, such as the European Development Fund. We remain committed to spending 0.7% of our national income on development assistance. In time, we will have more flexibility to consider how we use the proportion of our aid budget currently channelled through the EU on an annual basis. Where it makes sense, the UK remains open to working with the EU to maximise combined development impact in areas of our mutual interest.

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff her Department has appointed to prepare for contingency plans in the event that the UK leaves the EU; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of those contingency plans.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID’s assessment is that we would not require any additional staff in the event that the UK leaves the EU. DFID is currently working with the Cabinet Office to understand the needs of other government departments for short term support and will seek to match these to DFID resource identified as being available for redeployment.

Offences Against Children

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department’s programmes on ending violence against children.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID is committed to reducing violence through dedicated investments to protect children, alongside interventions embedded in wider development and humanitarian programming. All DFID programmes, including those preventing violence against children, are subject to high levels of scrutiny to ensure they are effective and are making the best possible use of resources to maximise impact on poor people’s lives. Before approval is given to DFID programmes to begin implementation, a business case will go through a robust design and assurance process, based on HM Treasury’s five case model. All DFID programmes are then subject to continuous monitoring and an annual review process that assesses results achieved and value for money. DFID has invested in rigorous evaluations of interventions to prevent violence against women and children across 12 countries in Africa and Asia through its What Works to Prevent Violence Programme. This has demonstrated significant reductions in violence. For example, a school-based programme in northern Afghanistan led to a 50% reduction in children’s peer violence and corporal punishment at school.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Politics and Government

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps her Department has taken to promote peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is committed to reducing violence and conflict and building sustainable peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since 2014, DFID has provided £40m to supporting peace in DRC. We work through NGOs and local partners to support a range of activities including: intra and inter-community dialogue and dispute resolution; trust building between communities and local security actors; and targeted social and economic support to communities recovering from violence. The UK funds the UN Peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, and DFID provides technical assistance to help it deliver its mandate to build stability and peace.

Department for Education

Teachers: Recruitment

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the number of people entering the teaching profession.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s top priority is to ensure that teaching continues to be an attractive and fulfilling profession. A pay rise is being delivered of up to 3.5% for classroom teachers on the main pay range, 2% for those on the upper pay range and 1.5% for those in leadership positions. This is being supported by a Teachers' Pay Grant of over £500 million covering the difference between the first 1% that schools would have been anticipating under the previous public sector pay cap and the 2018 award.   A range of measures have been put in place, including generous bursaries, worth up to £26,000 for priority subjects, to encourage trainees to key subjects such as languages and physics. New financial incentives for priority subject teachers are also being tested. These include early career payments for new mathematics teachers and a student loan reimbursement scheme for languages and science teachers. On 28 January 2019 the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy was launched which outlines four key areas for reform and investment. These are: creating the right climate for leaders to establish supportive school cultures; transforming support for early career teachers; building a career offer that remains attractive to teachers as their careers and lives develop and; making it easier for people to become teachers.Designed collaboratively with the sector, the centrepiece of the strategy is the Early Career Framework, which will underpin a fully funded, 2 year package of structured support for all early career teachers linked to the best available research evidence. The strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy.

Teachers: Greater London

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to recruit and retain teachers and teaching staff in (a) Bexley Borough and (b) London.

Nick Gibb: Teaching remains an attractive profession, with more than 450,000 teachers in schools across the country; 75,300 teachers in London and 2,300 teachers in Bexley Borough.[1], [2] LondonBexley BoroughEnglandTeachers75,3002,300451,900Teaching Assistants39,900900262,800Other Support Staff24,600700145,300Auxiliary Staff11,60030087,100Total Workforce151,4004,200947,100 Based on analysis of the School workforce census, the Department published a methodology for better understanding local teacher supply, the Supply index, which demonstrates that variations in teacher supply issues appear at school level, with no clear geographical trends: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/682023/SFR86_2017_Main_Text.pdf.Some schools have greater issues with recruitment and retention than others. That is why the Department has announced a £30 million investment in tailored support for these schools, designed to help schools improve existing plans, join national programmes, build local partnerships or fund new initiatives. The Department has also taken a number of steps to improve this year’s recruitment figures including generous bursaries worth up to £26,000 for priority subjects; boosting marketing and support to applicants; making it easier to take the skills test; and working with providers to ensure every applicant is accepted who is ready to train to teach. On 28 January 2019, the Department launched a new Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy.  [1] Source: School Workforce Census. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 teachers.[2] Totals may not appear equal to the sum of the component parts because of rounding.'

Special Educational Needs: Bexley

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) initial and (b) additional allocated budgets for special needs provision in Bexley schools have been in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authorities are required to provide schools with sufficient funds to enable them to meet the additional cost of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, up to £6,000. This notional SEN budget is part of the local authority’s schools budget.When the costs of additional support required for a pupil with SEN exceed £6,000, the local authority should also allocate additional top-up funding to cover the excess costs. This funding comes from the local authority’s high needs budget. This budget also pays for provision in special schools.The schools and high needs funding allocations for the last 5 years in Bexley have been taken from the dedicated schools grant allocation tables for the respective year, and are presented below. YearSchools fundingHigh needs fundingTotal2014-15£162.7 million£27.1 million£189.8 million2015-16£173.4 million£27.2 million£200.6 million2016-17£175.6 million£27.5 million£203.1 million2017-18*£175.1 million£31.2 million£206.3 million2018-19*£177.2 million£32.2 million£209.4 million *In these years, the balance between schools and high needs funding was readjusted.

Department of Education: Sikhs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.

Anne Milton: As at 31 December 2018, 73 civil servants in the department were recorded as being Sikhs, as a religious group.

Department for Education: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the corrected Answer of 22 January 2019 to Question 206251, how many civil servants in his Department were working part or full-time on projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio in (a) June 2016 and (b) December 2018.

Anne Milton: At the end of June 2016 (i.e. the end of the Quarter 1 reporting period for 2016/17), 201.3[1] civil servants in the Department for Education (DfE) were working on projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP).The GMPP data for December 2018 (Quarter 3 2018/19) has not yet been cleared and finalised. However, to provide a comparator, at the end of September 2018 (the latest submitted data at the end of the Quarter 2 reporting period 2018/19) 815.6 officials in the DfE were working on projects in the GMPP.The GMPP is a continually evolving portfolio of the government’s most complex and high-risk projects. Direct comparisons across years should therefore be treated with caution. As projects join and leave the Portfolio throughout the year, it is likely that a comparison across two time points will refer to different sets of projects.  [1] Decimal figures denote part time working hours, as calculated by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

Children

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons there has been an increase in the number of (a) looked-after children, (b) child protection plans and (c) children in need since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: Due to discontinuity in methods used for some of the data collected, we only look at trends in these numbers starting from 2013. I therefore refer the hon. Member for Wansbeck to the answer I gave on 17 December 2018 to Question 202744 raised by the hon. Member Stephen Lloyd.

Children: Social Services

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with directors of children’s services on their ability to deliver their statutory duties to children and families.

Nadhim Zahawi: Ministers and officials regularly meet key stakeholders, including directors of children’s services (DCSs), to discuss children’s services.For example, in November 2018, I met with DCSs and local authority chief executives at the National Children and Adult Services Conference, held roundtables with groups of both DCSs and local authority chief executives, and have attended induction events for new DCSs. In addition, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State and I have very recently met with a number of children in care to hear their views and experiences.The department recognises how important it is to speak directly with those who are on the front-line delivering services for children and families.

Children: Social Services

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that local government has the resources it needs to deliver services to children and families.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities overspent on children’s services in the last 12 months; and how much additional investment for children’s services is planned for the 2019-20 financial year.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authorities are required under section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 to submit education and children’s social care budget and expenditure statements. This data is published in statistical releases annually. The most recent release shows 135 local authorities had a difference in 2017-18 when their planned spend is compared to their actual spend.Funding for children’s services is made available through the Local Government Finance Settlement which gives local authorities flexibility to target spending according to local needs and to fulfil their statutory responsibilities, including services for children and families. Through the settlement, the government has made available over £200 billion across the five-year spending period. For 2019-20 this means an increase in core spending power from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion.At Autumn Budget my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extra £410 million to address pressures on adult and children social care services, along with £84 million over 5 years to support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision-making, enabling them to work more effectively with the most vulnerable children and their families.

Forensic Science: Misconduct

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of the 23 January 2019 to Question 208340 on Forensic Science: Misconduct, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on how to make individuals aware of the right of people to apply for a C650 Application notice to vary or set aside an order in relation to children as a result of the manipulation of forensic tests; and what information he holds on whether any local authorities have written to any such individuals.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education (DfE) wrote to all local authorities on 17 November 2017, informing them that a process for asking the court to vary or discharge an order would be established for individuals who believed that the outcome of their case was materially affected by a potentially unreliable test. In further correspondence of 17 February 2018, the DfE gave local authorities further information about how to access the C650 court process online and how to support individuals that may approach them for help in this matter.The information on whether any local authorities have written to any such individuals is not held centrally.

Adoption

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were adopted in each year since 2012-13; and what the rate of adoption disruptions was in that same period.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been placed under special guardianship orders; and how many of those orders have been disrupted in each year since 2012-13.

Nadhim Zahawi: The number of looked-after children who were adopted is published in table E1 and the number who were the subject of a special guardianship order is published in table E5 for the last 5 years in the statistical release ‘Children looked-after in England (including adoption) year ending 31 March 2018 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018.The department does not collect information on adoptions and special guardianship orders that were disrupted. National figures on numbers of children who started to be looked-after who had a previous permanence arrangement, including special guardianship orders and adoption orders, are available in table C1 in the above release. However, these figures were collected for the first time in 2014 and should be treated with caution as the information is based on self-declaration and for a number of children the previous permanence arrangement is not known.

Children in Care

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were taken into care due to parental drug and alcohol related issues in 2017.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department does not collect this level of detail on the reason why a child becomes looked-after.The available information on the primary need of children starting to be looked-after is published annually in table C1 of the statistical release ‘Children looked-after in England including adoption: 2017 to 2018’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018. The category ‘Parental disability or illness’ includes children whose main category of need was due to the capacity of their parents to care for them being impaired by the parents’ disability, physical or mental illness or addictions.We know that parental drug and alcohol related issues can be a common factor in families with children in need of help and protection. We are working to ensure that families receive the right help at the right time to promote the welfare and outcomes of children and enable them to stay together where it is safe to do so.

Children: English Language

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support children who are learning English as a second language.

Nadhim Zahawi: ​Every child, regardless of their background or family circumstances, deserves the opportunity to progress and succeed in school and beyond. Schools are responsible for ensuring that each of their pupils is engaged, challenged and has opportunity to achieve their full academic potential. The government’s ongoing education reforms have given headteachers considerable flexibility over their use of the funding allocated to their schools, as they are best placed to support and address the specific needs of their pupils – including those who are classed as having English as an additional language (EAL).​We recognise that having a large intake of EAL pupils can present challenges for a school. Through the national funding formula (NFF) for schools, introduced in April 2018, state-funded schools attract funding for pupils with EAL who have been in the school system in England for up to 3 years. This funding equates to an additional £515 per primary school pupil and an additional £1,385 per secondary school pupil by the time the formula is fully implemented. Schools in which more than 10% of pupils joined mid-way through the school year also attract funding through the mobility factor in the NFF if their local authority uses this factor in their local formula. Furthermore, schools are also able to use their pupil premium funding to support pupils with EAL who are classed as disadvantaged, through having been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years, or through being looked after or previously in local authority care.

Social Services: Training

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has allocated to phase (a) 1 and (b) 2 of the implementation of the National Assessment and Accreditation System.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the cost per social worker of assessment under the National Assessment and Accreditation Scheme (a) including and (b) not including piloting and set-up costs.

Nadhim Zahawi: ​For the period from July 2018 up to and including March 2020, the government has allocated a maximum of £18.5 million (rounded) for funding phases 1 and 2 of the National Assessment and Accreditation System (NAAS). This excludes piloting and set-up costs incurred prior to July 2018.This is broken down as follows;£4.2 million for the operation, continuous improvement and evaluation of NAAS in phase 1.£7.42 million for the operation, continuous improvement and evaluation of NAAS in phase 2.£6.85 million grant funding for an additional 34 local authorities to join phase 2. The cost per social worker of assessment under the NAAS varies according to the stage of development of the programme, the throughput of social workers in each local authority and the cost and capacity of a particular assessment venue. Therefore, at this stage we are not able to attribute a cost per social worker. The programme is being developed in an agile manner and through the first phases we have appointed an independent evaluator to collate financial and benefits data, the evidence from which will inform the future rollout approach. For national rollout of NAAS, delivery and cost modelling is currently underway and the cost per social worker will depend on the delivery model(s) selected. It is anticipated that a significant proportion of NAAS investment made during phase 1 and phase 2 will support future delivery of NAAS on a national basis.

Primary Education: Barnsley

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) teaching assistants and (b) specialist support staff have been employed in primary schools in Barnsley in each year since 2010.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) teaching assistants and (b) specialist support staff have been employed in secondary schools in Barnsley in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number[1] of teaching assistants[2], support staff[3] and auxiliary staff[3] in service in state funded nursery/primary and secondary schools in Barnsley local authority and England in each November, 2010 to 2017.  Teaching AssistantsOther Support StaffAuxiliary Staff BarnsleyEnglandBarnsleyEnglandBarnsleyEnglandPrimary2011670136,90023649,70016540,1002012762146,70026452,20017841,3002013840156,20028554,60018542,2002014858166,20029656,90020144,4002015894174,50029659,40019545,7002016897177,70029760,50019245,5002017890176,20028760,60018845,500Secondary201128752,80027371,7009825,600201226754,10022773,3008926,600201326454,40022875,1008826,400201422453,90021375,5008726,900201521852,30019674,8009826,400201622150,10020873,9008925,700201720247,80020772,0007625,100Source: School Workforce Census [1] Raw figures are provided for Barnsley local authority, figures for England are rounded to the nearest 100 staff.[2] Figures for teaching assistants in November 2010 is not available due to approximately 15% having missing 'hours worked' data.[3] The actual hours worked which are used to calculate the full time equivalent of support staff and auxiliary staff was not collected in November 2010 School Workforce Census.

Schools: Staff

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) teaching assistants and (b) specialist support staff have been employed in primary schools in (i) Lewisham Deptford constituency, (ii) the London borough of Lewisham, (iii) London and (iv) England in each year since 2010.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) teaching assistants and (b) specialist support staff have been employed in secondary schools in (i) Lewisham Deptford constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Lewisham, (iii) London and (iv) England in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The attached table provides the full time equivalent number of teaching assistants, support staff and auxiliary staff in service in state funded nursery/primary and secondary schools in Lewisham Deptford constituency, London Borough of Lewisham local authority and England in each November, 2010 to 2017. 



213417_213418_Table
(PDF Document, 24.99 KB)

Schools: Teachers

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the January 2019 survey of members of the National Education Union, what steps he is taking to respond to concerns raised in that survey on the effect of reductions in the number of teaching assistants and learning support assistants on the quality of teaching.

Nick Gibb: The number of full time equivalent teaching assistants in state funded schools in England was 262,800 in 2017. This is 48,900 more than reported in November 2010, and 30,500 more than reported five years previously. This data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-workforce.The figures above include learning support assistants, who report under this category in the school workforce census.Schools are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their pupils, including making decisions about the recruitment, training and deployment of teaching assistants. The Government recognises appropriately skilled and deployed support staff can make an important contribution to the development of children and the support of teachers in delivering teaching and learning.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Secondment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants in his Department have been seconded to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to work on programmes related to the UK leaving the EU.

Anne Milton: The department has established mechanisms to deploy resource across the Civil Service. Individual secondments and loans are agreed by line managers and based on business need. Managers stay in contact with staff throughout their time away and manage their return to the department. The department does not hold a central record detailing individual loans and secondments.It is the top priority of the government to leave the EU with a deal, but it is also the responsibility of the government to prepare for all scenarios, including for the prospect of a no deal. The Civil Service is focused on delivering the government’s most pressing priorities, so it is only sensible that we make use of the resources and expertise we have available to make sure the UK is prepared for all Brexit scenarios on exit day. This includes departments sharing staff and working together on joint projects. The number of staff who are being seconded to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as part of a coordinated exercise is yet to be determined.

Apprentices: Taxation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprenticeship places, broken down by the NVQ level of each place, have been supported by funds from the apprenticeship levy.

Anne Milton: ​The table below provides the number of levy supported apprenticeship starts by detailed apprenticeship level: Apprenticeship startsApprenticeship level2017/18 (Final full year)2018/19 (August to October, Provisional)271,43020,180381,82025,830411,4504,520512,6204,37065,4503,71073,2702,740Total186,00061,400 Notes1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten, or the nearest 100 for totals.2) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record.3) Levy-supported starts are those supported by levy-paying organisations using at least £1 of their own levy funds. Please note that a level 2 apprenticeship is equivalent to NVQ level 2, a level 3 apprenticeship is equivalent to NVQ level 3 and so on. More information about equivalent qualification levels is available at https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels. Data for the 2017/18 academic year, and for the first quarter of the 2018/19 academic year (reported to date) were published alongside the ‘Further education and skills: November 2018’ and ‘Apprenticeship and traineeships release: January 2019’ statistics publications, available respectively at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/further-education-and-skills-november-2018.​https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-january-2019.

Ministry of Justice

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: ICT

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of reported recent prolonged IT failures at HM Courts and Tribunals Service on (a) jurors, (b) witnesses and (c) victims of crime.

Rory Stewart: I would like to apologise to those who were affected by the recent intermittent disruption, which was caused by an infrastructure failure in our supplier’s data centre. Services continued to operate, and court hearings continued, but I know how frustrating this was for anyone affected.HMCTS staff have worked hard to implement pre-planned contingencies to minimise the impact of the IT issues on criminal trials and all of those involved. HMCTS are now gathering information from all areas of its operations to assess the scale of the impact and any remedial work required.

Prison Service: Pay

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2019 to Question 206776 on Prison Service: Pay and with reference to the National Offender Management Service's document of 13 July 2013, Required Hours Addition (RHA), reference PSI 26/2013, whether the requirement specified in Section 3.1 of PSI 26/2013 that RHA recipients must be up to date with control & restraint training is still in effect; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The payment of the Required Hours Addition is made as recompense for having to work unsocial and unpredictable working hours, and is automatically paid as a separate salaried element (pensionable) on taking up duty in a qualifying role (both operational and non-operational).Operational Managers are expected to remain up to date with their Control and Restraint (C&R) training, to ensure the safety and security of prisoners and staff is continued to be met.

Ministry of Justice: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Corrected Answer of 22 January 2019 to Question 206251, how many civil servants in his Department were working part or full-time on projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio in (a) June 2016 and (b) December 2018.

Rory Stewart: The GMPP is a continually evolving portfolio of the government’s most high risk projects. Direct comparisons of the GMPP across years should therefore be treated with caution. Projects join and leave the GMPP throughout the year and therefore the comparison refers to different sets of projects and a different mix of in-house and supplier resourcesAt the end of June 2016 (i.e. the end of the Quarter 1 reporting period for 2016-17), 288 officials at the Ministry of Justice were working on GMPP projects.  GMPP data for December 2018 (Q3 2018-19) has not yet been cleared and finalised. At the end of September 2018 (i.e. the latest submitted data, at end of Quarter 2 reporting period for 2018-19), 727 officials at the Ministry of Justice were working on GMPP projects.  This data refers to public sector employees, defined as those who are directly in the employment of the Crown or Civil Service, local government or Arms’ Length Body at the relevant snapshot date, including seconded members of staff who join the team as Civil, Crown or Public Servants.

Prison Sentences

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of (a) between one and four (b) between five and nine, (c) between 10 and 15 (d) between 16 and 25, (e) between 26 and 50, (f) between 51 and 75, (g) between 76 and 100 and (h) 101 or more convictions in each of the last three years did not receive a custodial sentence for any such offence.

Rory Stewart: The number of people convicted of (a) between one and four (b) between five and nine, (c) between 10 and 15 (d) between 16 and 25, (e) between 26 and 50, (f) between 51 and 75, (g) between 76 and 100 and (h) 101 or more convictions in each of the last three years who did not receive a custodial sentence for any such offence can be viewed in the table. These data include convictions for all criminal offences, including those that do not attract a custodial sentence.



Frequency of Convictions
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.92 KB)

Department for International Trade

World Economic Forum: Advertising

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the total cost to his Department was of placing the Free Trade is Great advertisements on the outside of Belvedere Hotel during the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Graham Stuart: The Department is unable to release the total costs associated with the Free Trade is Great advertisements on the outside of Belvedere Hotel during the World Economic Forum in Davos due to confidentiality clauses imposed by the organisations concerned, owing to a commercial confidentiality clause. Publication of this information risks leaving the Department subject to legal measures.

Strategic Trade Advisory Group

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Call for expressions of interest in membership of the Strategic Trade Advisory Group, published on 16 July 2018, who will determine that members are no longer able to contribute effectively to the groups' deliberations prior to a member of the Strategic Trade Advisory Group having their membership revoked; and whether information on that decision will be made publicly available.

George Hollingbery: The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly. The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place. Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online. To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.

Strategic Trade Advisory Group

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what formal role the strategic trade advisory group will play in formulating trade policy.

George Hollingbery: The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly. The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place. Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online. To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.

Strategic Trade Advisory Group

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how he plans to maintain confidentiality in respect of proceedings of the Strategic Trade Advisory Group; and whether members of that group will be prohibited from (a) discussing such proceedings and (b) publicly criticising aspects of trade policy that may have been considered in proceedings of the group.

George Hollingbery: The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly. The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place. Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online. To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.

Strategic Trade Advisory Group

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether votes will take place in the Strategic Trade Advisory Group; what system will be used to administer such votes; and whether the results of such votes will be published.

George Hollingbery: The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly. The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place. Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online. To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.

Strategic Trade Advisory Group

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress he has made in establishing the Strategic Trade Advisory Group.

George Hollingbery: The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly. The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place. Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online. To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.

Food: Scotland

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase food and drink exports from Scotland to (a) Asia (b) South America and (c) Africa.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade (DIT) supports companies in Scotland and the rest of the UK to trade globally through initiatives including the GREAT campaign, Export Campaigns, the Tradeshow Access Programme and financial support offered by UK Export Finance. The Department’s Export Strategy sets out how we will put in place the right practical, promotional and financial support to help businesses to grow sustainably by exporting. This also includes support from dedicated food and drink teams working for Her Majesty's Trade Commissioners across Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa. DIT also supports the Government’s work to gain overseas market access for produce from the UK. In China, we have secured market access for seed potatoes, a huge boon to the Scottish farming industry which delivers about 70% of the UK seed potato export volume, alongside access for beef, where UK exports are expected to be worth £250m over 5 years.

Export Credit Guarantees

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the total amount of funding provided to businesses by UK Export Finance; and what proportion of that support was provided to SMEs in each of the last five years.

Graham Stuart: The value of support provided by UK Export Finance (UKEF) for exports, including the percentage share of support for SMEs, is shown in the table:Financial YearBusiness supported, £mValue of support for SMEs, £mProportion of the value of support for SMEs, %FY13/142,2721999%FY14/152,7301224%FY15/161,7931559%FY16/172,966893%FY17/182,5301958% UKEF offers a range of short-term products to help SMEs fulfil export contracts. The typical value of each facility provided through this range is under £2m but enables SMEs to fulfil export contracts of greater value than the support they receive. UKEF has supported £2.5bn in export contracts for SMEs through this product range over the last 5 years. In 2017-18, 77% of all companies UKEF supported were SMEs.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 11 January 2019 to Question 203813, how many claimants of personal independence payments who died within six months of their claim being registered received a payment.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 11 January 2019 to Question 203813, how many claimants of personal independence payments who died within six months of their claim being registered had their application rejected.

Sarah Newton: Over 3.6 million applications to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) were made between April 2013 and 30th April 2018. Of these, 73,800 claimants died within 6 months of their claim being registered. Prior to any Mandatory Reconsideration or Appeal action, 56,770 and 7,990 of these claimants had their claims awarded and disallowed respectively. If a claimant dies before a decision is made on an outstanding claim, the Department establishes whether the claimant’s representative or next of kin wishes to proceed with the claim. If not, the claim is withdrawn so around 7,700 of the 73,800 claims were withdrawn rather than awarded or disallowed. 56,920 of the 73,800 claims have been credited with a payment. Claims made under the special rules for people who are terminally ill are fast tracked and are currently being cleared at a median average of 6 working days for new claimants. This has reduced from a median average of 11 working days between April 2013 and March 2014. Notes:These figures include claims made under both Normal Rules and Special Rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI) and include new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessment claims.The point of application is taken as the day the claimant registered a claim to PIP as recorded on the PIP computer system.The outcome is the first DWP decision recorded on the PIP Computer system. This does not take into account any mandatory reconsideration or Appeal action so some of these claimants may have subsequently been awarded PIP. Some cases do not have a decision recorded.This is unpublished data from the PIP computer system’s (PIP CS) management information. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.Figures cover claims made up to and including 30th April 2018 and clearances up to and including 31st October 2018.GB only. Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.

Personal Independence Payment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 11 January 2019 to Question 203813, how many claimants who died after registering a personal independence payments claim but prior to her Department making a decision on their claim applied under (a) Normal Rules and (b) Special Rules.

Sarah Newton: Over 3.6 million applications to PIP were made between April 2013 and 30th April 2018. 17,070 of these claimants died after registering but prior to the DWP making a decision on their claim. Over 3.5 million applications were made under normal rules and 11,790 of these claimants died after registering but prior to the DWP making a decision on their claim. Nearly 109,000 applications were made under special rules for terminally ill people and 5,290 of these claimants died after registering but prior to the DWP making a decision on their claim. Claims made under the special rules for people who are terminally ill are fast tracked and are currently being cleared at a median average of 6 working days for new claimants. This has reduced from a median average of 11 working days between April 2013 and March 2014. Notes:These figures include new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessment claims.Special rules indicator is taken at the point of registration. It is possible for claims to transition between normal rules and special rules for terminally ill people during the claimant journey.The point of application is taken as the day the claimant registered a claim to PIP as recorded on the PIP computer system.This is unpublished data from the PIP computer system’s (PIP CS) management information. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.Figures cover claims made up to and including 30th April 2018.GB only. Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.

Personal Independence Payment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of personal independence payments have died within three months of having their application rejected.

Sarah Newton: Over 3.6 million applications to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) were made between April 2013 and 30th April 2018. Between April 2013 and 30th April 2018, 3,680 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants died within three months of their initial application being disallowed. Claims made under the special rules for people who are terminally ill are fast tracked and are currently being cleared at a median average of 6 working days for new claimants. This has reduced from a median average of 11 working days between April 2013 and March 2014.  Notes:These figures include claims cleared under normal rules and Special Rules for Terminally Ill people (SRTI).These figures include claimants whose initial claim was disallowed after assessment, for failing to attend assessment, for failing to return the PIP2 form or for failing lay rules. This does not take into account any mandatory reconsideration or appeal action so some of these claimants may have subsequently been awarded PIP.The point of initial decision on the application to PIP is taken as the day the DWP decision maker made a decision and recorded it on the PIP computer system.This is unpublished data from the PIP computer system’s (PIP CS) management information. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and “three months” has been taken to be 93 days or less.Figures cover claims made up to and including 30th April 2018.GB only. Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.

Personal Independence Payment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 11 January 2019 to Question 203813, how many claimants of personal independence payments (PIP) who have had their application rejected under Normal Rules subsequently reapplied for PIP under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness process.

Sarah Newton: Between April 2013 and October 2018, 5,670 Personal Independence Payments (PIP) claims were registered under Special Rules for Terminally Ill people (SRTI) by claimants who had previously been disallowed at initial decision under normal rules prior to 30th April 2018. To put this into context, over 4 million applications to PIP were made between April 2013 and 31st October 2018. Of these 5,670 claims, 20% were made within 3 months of the original disallowance, 36% were made within 6 months of the original disallowance and 58% were made within a year of the initial decision. The remaining 42% were made over a year after the original claim was disallowed.   Notes:These figures include new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessment claims.It is possible for claims to transition between normal rules and SRTI during the claimant journey. Included in these figures are claimants assessed under normal rules at the point of initial decision whose subsequent claim was treated as SRTI at the point of registration.These figures include claimants whose case was disallowed at initial decision after assessment, for failing to attend assessment, for failing to return the PIP2 form or for failing lay rules. This does not take into account any mandatory reconsideration or Appeal action so some of these claimants may have subsequently been awarded PIP.Only the closest subsequent registration is counted. For example, a claimant may have made more than one subsequent claim under SRTI. In such a case, only the closest subsequent registration is counted in this data.Only the closest initial clearance is counted. For example, a claimant may have had multiple disallowances under Normal Rules for different claims. In such a case, only the closest initial disallowance to the subsequent registration is counted in this data.The point of application is taken as the day the claimant registered a claim to PIP as recorded on the PIP computer system.This is unpublished data from the PIP computer system’s (PIP CS) management information. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.Figures cover disallowances up to and including 30th April 2018 and subsequent registrations made up to and including 31st October 2018.GB only. Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.

Personal Independence Payment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 11 January 2019 to Question 203813, how many claimants of personal independence payments (a) had their application rejected under Normal Rules and (b) were subsequently awarded benefits after appeal; and what primary condition those claimants had.

Sarah Newton: Between April 2013 and September 2018 3.6 million Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decisions have been made under Normal Rules. Of these 1.6 million were disallowed PIP – this will include those who attended the PIP assessment but did not secure enough points, as well as for other reasons such as failing to attend the assessment or not returning Part 2 of the PIP claim form within the time limit. Of the 1.6 million disallowed PIP, 96,680 had the decision overturned at appeal, representing 6% of disallowance decisions. These appeals will include cases where the initial decision was changed at Mandatory Reconsideration. Statistics on the primary medical condition for those disallowed PIP at the initial decision are available in the PIP clearances dataset in Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html Details of the claimant’s primary medical condition, where recorded, where decisions were overturned at appeal are in the accompanying spreadsheet.



primary medical condition
(PDF Document, 74.52 KB)

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of mental function champions in the (a) personal independence payment and (b) work capability assessment systems.

Sarah Newton: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have individual contracts with all Health Providers. The contracts with the Health and Disability Assessment Service Provider and the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Providers, stipulate that they must provide Mental Health Function Champions (MHFC) to give advice and support to Health Professionals on health conditions and disabilities affecting mental, cognitive, intellectual and behavioural function. MHFC are one part of a package of resources available to Health Professionals to help them assess claimants with mental health needs, which also comprises of e-learning, training, clinical studies, case examples etc. All of these resources are designed to ensure claimants with mental health needs are accurately assessed. MHFC are specialist practitioners who have at least 2 years of post –registration clinical experience in a mental health or learning disability role prior to working on PIP or ESA assessments. They undergo specific training when they join the MHFC Team to emphasise the functional effects of mental health conditions. They provide on the spot advice to all Health Professionals in person or via a Helpline. PIP Assessment Providers also have a MHFC lead group, involved in managing the MHFC functions, developing guidance and providing senior oversight. It works closely with other stakeholders to share best practice, identify key trends from issues raised to the MHFC team and drive clarification to training and guidance. MHFC within Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) are overseen by a Clinical Standards Team, which is responsible for supporting the consistent high quality of assessment reports.

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Illness

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment assessments have included intervention from mental function champions in the last year.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not held.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is provided to assessors for dealing with claimants' with mental health problems in personal independence payment and work capability assessments.

Sarah Newton: Health Professionals undertaking PIP and ESA assessments have at least 2 years post full registration experience (this refers to either UK registration or equivalent overseas registration for non-UK HCPs) or less than 2 years post full registration experience by prior, written agreement with the Department. All Health Professionals receive training on how to assess the impact of mental health conditions on claimants. This is followed by on-going professional training and support which continues for the duration of their employment in the role. In addition, Mental Health Function Champions support Health Professionals by providing additional expertise about mental health, cognitive, developmental and learning disabilities and can be referred to at any time during the assessment process. Health Professionals make every attempt to obtain the best evidence available to assist them in undertaking the assessment. This includes accessing evidence from Community Mental Health Teams, psychologists, psychiatrists and other medical professionals. Health Assessment Providers frequently engage with medical experts, charities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen, review and update training programmes for all their assessment staff.

Health and Safety Executive: Finance

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much public funding the Health and Safety Executive (a) received in each of the last 10 years and (b) is forecast to receive in 2019-20.

Sarah Newton: 2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/19 - forecast£m£m£m£m£m£m£m£m£m£m228203175159154138134133128123 Figures provided are based on net operating expenditure reported in HSE’s Annual Report and Accounts and excludes Capital spend. HSE’s funding for 2019/20 is not yet agreed as DWP (HSE’s sponsor department) are still in the process of finalising budgets.

Industrial Health and Safety

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many health and safety concerns were reported by (a) workers and (b) members of the public to the Health and Safety Executive; and how many were investigated by inspectors in each of the last 10 years.

Sarah Newton: Please see attached tables showing concerns raised by workers and members of the public and concerns investigated by Inspectors.



Concerns raised by workers and members of the publ
(PDF Document, 81.53 KB)

Health and Safety Executive: Staff

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent inspectors have been employed in each region of the country by the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Sarah Newton: The number of full-time equivalent inspectors employed in each region of the country by the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last five years are as follows:  2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18East Midlands7572716847East of England8580788092London8781746569North East4147484641North West251217232212208Scotland147164184176175South East7271716264South West5963635658Wales6064646562West Midlands7780586158Yorkshire and Humber96989498105Total105110381037988978 HSE inspector numbers are as per the respective Annual Report and Accounts.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Slaughterhouses

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 10 September 2018 to Questions 170283, 170284, 170285, 170286 and 170287 on Poultry: Animal Welfare, when he plans to publish the results of the Food Standards Agency survey of slaughterhouses in England and Wales.

David Rutley: Further to the reply from the Minister of State on 10 September 2018, the results will be published shortly. We are engaging with religious groups on the results of the survey.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the results of the study entitled Characterisation of elemental in PM2.5 in a medium sized Swedish city dominated by a modern waste incinerator plant published in X-Ray Spectrometry in 2006 which showed that between 17 per cent and 32 per cent of PM2.5 emissions landed within 1km of the site.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: No such assessment has been made.

Environment Protection: EU Grants and Loans

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has for replacing the EU’s LIFE and BEST funding programmes after 2020.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Projects funded under the LIFE and BEST programmes have played an important role in helping to implement environment policy in the UK and its overseas territories. Securing a negotiated departure from the EU would ensure that UK organisations could continue to access LIFE and BEST funding until the end of 2020. The UK Government has guaranteed to underwrite the funding for agreed LIFE and BEST projects led by UK organisations in the event of the funding from the EU stopping in a ‘no deal’ situation. Beyond this, decisions on public funding for environment projects will be taken as part of the next Spending Review. Our 25 Year Environment Plan makes clear that public funding will continue to play an important role in protecting and enhancing our natural environment, including in our overseas territories.

Home Office

Deportation: Windrush Generation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 181253 on Deportation: Windrush Generation; what evidence he has sought to inform his decision not to make a specific attempt to inform those 49 people of the existence of the Windrush Taskforce; if he will make it his policy to attempt to inform them; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: There is no evidence to indicate that any of these individuals were in the UK before 1973 and therefore potentially entitled to status under the 1971 Immigration Act.Any individual who believes they are protected under the provisions of the 1971 Immigration Act is able to contact the Windrush Taskforce, who will help to identify their current status.

Immigration: India

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department uses the Government of India's list of Undesirable Contact Men as a criterion of decisions on who can reside in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: All persons wishing to enter or remain in the United Kingdom are checked against several watchlists and databases. Non-EEA nationals who do not meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules are refused leave to enter/remain.

Asylum: Mental Health

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications are pending where the claimant has a recorded mental health condition; and how many of these are claims have been awaiting decision for (a) three years (b) two years and (c) 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: The Department does not hold data on the number of asylum seekers who have mental health issues and have been waiting a decision for two years, three years and 12 months in a reportable format.The basis of a person’s asylum claim and any personal information is recorded on their individual Home Office file, but not in a way that can be easi-ly aggregated, so this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, because it would require a manual search through individual records. Even then, the data may not be sufficiently reliable, as it is worth noting that the claimants do not always disclose their mental health issues to case-workers despite having opportunity to do so.The Home Office publishes data, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics release, on the number of asylum applications lodged in each year, broken down by outcome, including cases with a decision, or appeal outcome, or not known, as at May 2018 (time of publication), in table as_06 (Asylum, volume 2).Latest edition available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/758195/asylum2-sep-2018-tables.ods

Health

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement on risks to life.

Caroline Nokes: We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, a responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes. That is why the Home Office is coordinating the preparation of robust contingency plans.With that in mind, we are working closely with operational partners - including the police - on contingency planning so we can ensure the safety and security of our citizens in all scenarios.

Home Office: Sikhs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.

Victoria Atkins: 720 employees have declared themselves as Sikh. Recorded as a religious group.

Home Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the corrected Answer of 22 January 2019 to Question 206251, how many civil servants in his Department were working part or full-time on projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio in (a) June 2016 and (b) December 2018.

Victoria Atkins: The GMPP is a continually evolving portfolio of the government’s most com-plex and high-risk projects. Direct comparisons of the GMPP across years should therefore be treated with caution. Projects join and leave the GMPP throughout the year and it is therefore likely that a simple comparison across two points in time will refer to different sets of projects.At the end of June 2016 (i.e. the end of the Quarter 1 reporting period for 2016-17), 411.7 FTE officials in the Home Office were working on GMPP projects.GMPP data for December 2018 (Q3 2018/19) has not yet been cleared and finalised. At the end of September 2018 (i.e. the latest submitted data, at end of the Quarter 2 reporting period for 2018-19), 481.1 FTE officials in the Home Office were working on GMPP projects.This data refers to public sector employees, defined as those who are direct-ly in the employment of the Civil or Crown Service, local government or Arms’ Length Body at the relevant snapshot date, including seconded mem-bers of staff who join the team as Civil, Crown or Public servants.

Police: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding is planned to be allocated to (a) Lambeth Police Force and (b) each police force area in the UK to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office has been working closely with policing to support planning for a range of scenarios around our exit from the EU, including leaving without a deal. Any local policing body whose force is facing significant costs as a result of EU Exit may currently apply for additional funding through the Police Special Grant. We are considering an alternative mechanism for any future requests.Decisions on the allocation of police resources within Lambeth are a matter for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

Home Office: Recruitment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many additional staff have been recruited to (a) HM Passport Office, (b) Border Force and (c) UK Visas and Immigration since 2016.

Caroline Nokes: The table below shows the average size of paid workforce (full time equivalents) Civil Servants and Non - Civil Servants for calendar year 2016 compared to calendar year 2018.Year AveragesUK Visas & ImmigrationBorder ForcePassport Office20165,7697,3833,75220187,7367,9673,570 The Home Office constantly reviews its capabilities to deliver the Government’s agenda. With EU Exit negotiations still underway, we continue to assess how our priorities will impact on the workforce and capabilities required.We are committed to ensuring that our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective migration system, tackle illegal immigration and keep the UK

Immigration: EU Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provision he plans to make in the EU Settlement scheme for those who have held pre-settled status for five years but cannot qualify for settled status due to excessive absences.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his policy is on people to whom the EU Settlement Scheme will apply and who have held pre-settled status for five years but cannot qualify for Settled Status due to excessive absences being able to apply for a further five years' pre-settled status leave.

Caroline Nokes: To be eligible for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, applicants will generally be required to demonstrate continuous residence in the UK for a minimum of five years in one of the eligible categories. This reflects the continuous residence criteria for the acquisition of ‘permanent residence’ under the Free Movement Directive, and the approach agreed with the European Union in the draft Withdrawal Agreement.Should an applicant not be immediately eligible for settled status, and instead be granted pre-settled status (five years’ limited leave to remain), they must continue to meet these continuous residence criteria in order to qualify for settled status. This will be made clear to them when they are granted pre-settled status.Those granted pre-settled status who are not eligible for settled status before the expiry of their five years’ limited leave to remain, owing to excess absence(s) from the UK, will have the option of applying for leave to remain under the new skills-based immigration system.

Windrush Generation: Reviews

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress his Department has made in its Windrush scheme: historical review of removals and detentions; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Secretary wrote to the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee on 21 August, outlining the initial findings of the Historical Review of removals and detentions. The review found that the total number of individuals identified who have been removed and/or detained by the Home Office since 2002, and who have something on their file which indicates they may have been in the UK before 1 January 1973, is 164.Of these we identified 18 individuals who stayed in the UK permanently and who are the people we consider most likely to have suffered the most detriment because their right to be in the UK was not recognised and where the de-partment is most likely to have acted wrongfully in removing or detaining them. Eleven of these left the UK voluntarily and seven were detained.Work on cases involving criminality, as well as individuals who were subject to proactive compliant environment sanctions, is ongoing. These figures will be provided to HASC upon completion of the work. Our regular updates to HASC are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/correspondence-on-the-work-of-the-home-office-windrush

Immigration: Vetting

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department (a) international blacklists and (b) the Government of India's Undesirable Contact Men are included in the criteria for the granting of residence to (a) Sudhir Choudhrie, (b) Bhanu Choudhrie and (c) other people on those lists.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not comment on individual cases. All persons wishing to enter or remain in the United Kingdom are checked against several watchlists and databases. Non-EEA nationals who do not meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules are refused leave to enter/remain.

Immigration

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from (a) EU countries (b) Asia (c) North America  were granted Indefinite Leave to Remain  in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: Information on grants of settlement (Indefinite leave to remain) to non-EEA nationals and issues of documents recognising initial and permanent resident rights to EU citizens (and their non-EU family members) to the year ending September 2018, are published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Settlement and EEA tables, latest edition of which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018Information regarding EU citizens and their non-EU family members issued settled status during the two Private Beta phases of the EU Settlement Scheme is available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/772139/EU_Settlement_Scheme_Private_Beta_2_Report.pdf

Entry Clearances: Biometrics

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many biometric residence permits were issued in each of the last three years.

Caroline Nokes: The information you have requested regarding the total number of BRPs issued over the last three years is not included in statistics published by the Home Office.However, the total number of grants of leave, by type of application, are available in published information at www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Windrush Generation: Compensation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to publish his Department's response to its consultation on the Windrush compensation scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has committed to putting into place the Windrush compensation scheme and is grateful to those who responded to the public consultation that closed on 16 November.We are considering the outcome of the consultation exercise and will respond as soon as possible with further details, including who is eligible to apply for compensation and how they can access the scheme.

Immigrants: Detainees

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how his Department calculates the quarterly figures on the average cost per day to hold an individual in immigration detention.

Caroline Nokes: The costs are derived at by dividing the Total Resource Costs of running the Detention Centres (Contracts, Staff, Rent, Rates, Utilities and Depreciation) by the average number of bed spaces (currently 3448).The average cost to detain an individual in immigration detention is provided on a per day basis. The current daily cost per detainee is £88.29, which corre-sponds to an annual cost of £32,227 (£88.29 multiplied by 365 days). Data can be found at the link belowhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-enforcement-data-november-2018

Immigrants: Detainees

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that immigration detainees can access websites that contain information about immigration law in all immigration detention centres.

Caroline Nokes: It is a contractual requirement for all of the Home Office’s suppliers operating immigration removal centres to provide detainees with reasonable and regulated access to the internet. This provision enables people in detention to remain in contact with family, friends and legal representatives, and to prepare for removal.Detention Services Order 04/2016 provides published guidance on access to the internet. This includes ensuring that material which may be relevant to a detainee’s immigration case is easily accessed, as long as it does not fall within a prohibited category or website.

Treasury

Treasury: Sikhs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Sikhs are employed in his Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.

Robert Jenrick: As of 31st December 2018, 11 civil servants employed by HM Treasury were recorded as being Sikhs, as a religious group. This was 1% of recorded religion.

Treasury: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the corrected Answer of 22 January 2019 to Question 206251, how many civil servants in his Department were working part or full-time on projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio in (a) June 2016 and (b) December 2018.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

John Lamont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money has accrued to the public purse from the soft drinks levy in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England.

Robert Jenrick: Total receipts from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy duty are published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/soft-drinks-industry-levy-statisticsYear-to-date, to April to December 2018, the total raised was £155m. A breakdown of revenue for Soft Drinks Industry Levy by country is not available.

Tax Avoidance

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will take steps to evaluate all aspects of the 2019 Loan Charge and seek external evidence.

Mel Stride: The government chose to accept New Clause 26 during the passage of the Finance Bill, and will lay a report in line with the requirements of that New Clause no later than 30 March 2019. The report will include a comparison with the time limits for the recovery of lost tax relating to disguised remuneration loans. The government also consulted extensively on the detail of the charge on disguised remuneration loans after it was announced at Budget 2016.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Domestic Visits: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on what dates he plans to visit Northern Ireland in 2019.

Jeremy Wright: I am planning to visit Northern Ireland in March, subject to ministerial duties.